Israel At War Monday Feb 17

Israel at war day 500

- Ch 13: Senior officials in the Israeli Prime Minister's circle: Almost no one in Israel thinks it is possible to reach Phase B of the deal. The gaps are too wide, so Israel cannot compromise on its demands. We will do our utmost to extend Phase A and include more hostages on the humanitarian list."

- First official response to Egypt's army provocations: Israeli Ambassador to the US, Dr. Yechiel Leiter: “Egypt is committing a grave violation of the peace agreement in Sinai. Egypt is building bases intended only for offensive operations. For a long time, this issue has been silenced. Israel intends to raise the issue very soon and very firmly."

- 4 bodies of Israeli hostages are expected to be delivered to Israel by Thursday 

- Pressure is being put on the mediators to increase the number of live hostages to be released on Shabbos

- Israeli senior official: The IDF will withdraw tomorrow from the places it is present in Lebanon, except for five strategic points where it will remain indefinitely.

- A senior Hamas  terrorist was killed in an IDF drone strike in Lebanon’s coastal city of Sidon, as he has been planning terror attack on Israelis

IDF confirms: The terrorist Muhammad Shaheen, who served as head of Hams’s operations department in Lebanon, was eliminated in Sidon

- Hostages’ families mark 500th day of captivity with fast, rallies across Israel. Activists block roads, march to Knesset, call for 500-minute fast to mark days since hostages’ abduction; ‘They’ve already been fasting for 500 days,’ says relative.

-Hamas informed the mediators in the negotiation process of its unwillingness to participate in the management of Gaza after the end of the war, based on Israeli, American and European demands not to deal with Hamas in the future."

- IDF says Hezbollah flew 4 drones for reconnaissance mission into northern Israel last week

- IDF: Massive ammunition caches are being discovered in southern Lebanon.

- Israel Foreign Minister Saar: "There are troubling developments in the Iranian nuclear project that stems from Iran's desire to "compensate" for its regional weakening.

- Sky News Arabic report: Following maasive Egyptian pressure exerted on the Hams delegation that visited Cairo - Hamas conveyed a message to the PLO regarding its willingness to transfer control of the Gaza Strip to the Palestinian Authority and the Gaza Management Committee on the condition that Gaza Strip workers are absorbed into the new government or retire with a promise of continued payment of salaries